FIRE!
Click here for link to newspaper article about the fire

On Monday February 3rd 1975, at 11.01am palls of smoke were seen coming from the school roof at the west end of the building. At 11.01 the first fire alarm at the schools were actuated. A minute later at 11.02 the London Fire Brigade received the first of many 999 calls reporting a fire at the Somerset Upper School, White Hart Lane and Creighton Road N17.

Initially two fire appliances from Tottenham fire station were sent.

Further calls were being received by the Fore Brigade and an additional two appliances from Edmonton were sent to the fire within minutes of the first call.

Smoke could be seen by the fire fighters as their appliances turned out of their station near Bruce Grove (Over a mile away.)

When the first crews arrived a large fire was already in progress involving the upper floors, the roof and the bell tower.

Much of the school was still in the process of being evacuated when the fire firefighters began to fight the blaze. They immediately called for further assistance.

Over the next twenty hours, Thirty fire appliances, bringing with them about 200 firefighters, attended the fire, including two turntable ladders.

The roof, from the west end, and along the central main corridor was completely destroyed, as was the main hall, several classrooms and most of the upper floor at the field end of the building.

The main hall was the veritable jewel in the crown of the School. At a previous Speech Day, the guest for the function, the Dean of Westminster proclaimed "I wish we had your lighting in the Abbey".

Salvage operations continued for several days, and much historical stuff was saved.

Luckily no-one was injured during the incident, which saw an ambulance on standby at all times.

The school was immediately closed.

For several days, local councillers, the local authority and school staff pondered the future of the 800 pupils, before emergency contingency plans were introduced, which allowed those years studying for their exams to continue education at a reduced school on the TGS site.

3rd and 4th year boys were moved to the old St Angelas School building, in Wood Green, where Haringey Council had set up an emergency school.

Fire Investigation teams eventually managed to trace the alleged cause of the fire back to the loft organ situated above the main hall.

All black & white on this page © London Fire Brigade.
With thanks to Graham Moreland.